Learning Targets:

• Social Studies- GCO Time, Continuity, and Change: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the past and how it affects the present and the future.
• Social Studies- SCO 6.3: Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the Halifax Explosion and how it has influenced culture in Nova Scotia.
• L.A.-GCO 2: Students will be expected to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively and clearly.
• L.A.-GCO 5: Students will be expected to interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies, resources and technologies.
• L.A.-GCO 8: Students will use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reflect on their learning.
• L.A.-GCO 10:Students will use a range of strategies to develop effective writing such as prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, presenting.

Connection to school improvement

Goal: Our students will demonstrate improvement in the area of writing with a focus on ideas, organization, language use and conventions.

Resources: Provide links to needed online resources, screencasts, files, rubrics, assessments etc.

1. Heritage Minute https://youtu.be/y5tU1CrXY-E
2. Think Link (see Appendix 1 at end of document if having trouble opening file)
3. List of possible topics to research (see Appendix 2)
4. Template for research paper (see Appendix 3)
5. Various books relating to the Halifax Explosion:

          *December 1917

          *1917 Halifax Explosion

         *The Halifax Disaster

         *17 Minutes to Live

              * Worse Than War

         *Shattered City

       6. Each piece of writing will be assessed by using the Nova Scotia Provincial Writing Rubric.

Adaptations (Child Specific):  

*Provide a graphic organizer for students to assist with keeping notes organized and in a sequential order.

*Have a discussion with the three students on adaptations to ensure that they understand their task.  Break down topic into small sections to simplify the search.  

*For enrichment: students are encouraged to design a logo or memorial to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion for 2017.  What could they do to help the city prepare for the anniversary?

Part 1: (usually 10 - 15 min. max)

Critical Thinking

Communicate and Collaborate

Analyze and Synthesize

Connection

Introduction:  Reveal one word at a time in the think link and have students guess what they think the next topic will be based on the clues.  

Reflecting on prior teaching: Students were taught how to record, organize and site information from various sources using a template.    

Teacher Script:

Yesterday we talked about…WWI and WWII leading up to Remembrance Day. What connection did Halifax have in the wars?

What do we already know about the Halifax Explosion?

(Notes:)

1. Following the Think Link, ask students what they know or think they know about the Halifax Explosion?  

2. Show the Heritage Moment on Vince Coleman https://youtu.be/y5tU1CrXY-E

Discuss what his role was in the Halifax Explosion as a hero for saving 600 people by stopping the train from coming into pier 6.  Also, there are memorials like the Vince Coleman Apartments on Bayer’s Road.  

Explicit Teaching Teacher models/demonstrates

What is my purpose considering the needs of my students?

Teacher Script:

Watch me as I…

I want you to notice how I…

(Notes:)

1. Review the strategies to conduct an effective research project.  

2. Students will select a topic to research. (See resources)

3. They will use the template for research notes. Template for research paper

Each topic requires collaboration with other students doing similar topics.  

4. Review how to record sources from text and internet.

Guided Practice

How will students participate and practice what they have just learned?

Teacher Script:

Turn and talk to your partner about…

Go into your notebook and…

Work with a partner and…

(Notes:)

Students will discuss the order of events as they occurred then rearrange post-it notes on the board to create an oversized timeline.  During the class trip, students will be asked to describe their research topic as we visit the various sites around the city.  

Part 2: Should be the largest portion of the lesson.

Find and Validate

Evaluate and Leverage

Create and Publish

Independent/Groups

Practice/Conference focus:

Name the skill/strategy from the explicit teaching.

Students try it independently

Teacher Script:

Today and every day…

When working today, use this strategy when…

When working today, remember…

(Notes:)

Students will use computers, ipads and the various text resources mentioned above to find and validate information about the Halifax Explosion.  They will create a draft of their research.  When complete, they will switch papers with a partner to peer edit each others’ work.  Then they will revise and edit to produce a second draft.  If time, they will meet with the teacher for a A final draft is then presented with pictures to be included into a compilation book about the Halifax Explosion.

Part 3: 10-15 minutes

Communicate and Collaborate

Apply and Interconnect

Time to Share

Will I use share time as…

-a mini-lesson reinforcement?

-a problem solving opportunity

-an opportunity for descriptive feedback

-an opportunity for assessment

What will it look like?

• Whole class
• Partner
• Small group

Teacher Script:

• Something I noticed today…

• Today we learned…

• Student name will share his/her learning…

• Student name will share a connection to his/her learning…

• One thing I’d like you to talk with your partner about while you share…

• While you are sharing, I will be looking for…

(Notes:)

For the last 10 minutes of the class, I will pair up students to briefly discuss the facts that they learned about the Halifax explosion and to make connections with their own topic of research.

Then using a post-it note with their topic written on it, students will come to the board to create a timeline of events.  This will help to organize the topics into a sequence that flows for the book.  

Inform the class that we will be taking a class trip to 9 sites relating to the Halifax Explosion on December 2nd.  We will be visiting the site of the Unidentified Dead, Fort Needham, the anchor on Purcell’s Cove, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and St. Paul’s Church to name a few.

21st Century Skills:   summary of all 21C skills are being used in this lesson:

• Create and Publish
• Evaluate
• Apply and Interconnect
• Analyze and Synthesize
• Communicate and Collaborate
• Find and Validate
• Citizenship

Next Steps: (Include parts or portions of the lesson that have not been completed.)

1. Students will continue researching their topics and editing their drafts until they are ready to type final product.  Students are advised to type their findings in a clear font and add illustrations or design to their page.  Each student page will be included into a compilation book to commemorate the 98th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.

2. Students will sign up for tasks to help put the book together.  For example: illustrators, bibliographers, cover page, back page, table of contents, contributor’s page, etc.  

Reflections:  How did the lesson go?  What went well?  What should I change next time?

When I introduced the Think Link, students really didn’t have any idea what the topic was about, so we made it down to the word “explosion” before a student guessed the topic. Once we began discussing prior knowledge students were able to make connections.

The lesson was taught over two 60 minute classes.  The final book is not yet completed.  That will take another 60 minute lesson.  Students worked mostly on finding information for the first 40-50 minutes of the first class. The most difficult aspect of finding information, analyzing and then synthesizing to create their own understanding on events that happened that day, was actually encouraging students to use a variety of key words to assist in their search online.  They struggled to locate information if it wasn’t under the search words they input.  It was interesting to see and it informed my teaching to create a lesson for the next class around “alternative search tactics of online resources”.  

This class are great collaborators.  They understand the expectations and they are actively engaged during sharing or peer editing sessions.  But the excitement came when I told them we were creating a book about the Halifax Explosion and then taking a class trip to put all of their learned knowledge to the test when we visit all of the sites around the city.

I have to be honest; using this template was just OK.  I like order and flow; and I found there to be too much information on each page.  I don’t like using the teacher script and I think I would prefer to have the “I do, you do, we do, we share” template.  It is simpler and not a lot of clutter on the page.

They Said:

My Words:

They Said:

My Words: